Hansen Mark Victor - Chicken soup for the dieters soul: daily inspirations

Chicken
Soup for the
Dieters
Soul

Daily
Inspirations

Jack Canfield
Mark Victor Hansen
Patricia Lorenz

Health Communications, Inc.
Deerfield Beach, Florida

www.hcibooks.com
www.chickensoup.com

The following recipes were originally published in Chicken Soup for the SoulCookbook, 101 Recipes from the Heart. 1995 Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Diana von Welanetz Wentworth.

Neighborhood Soup (March 8). Reprinted by permission of Linda McNamar. 1995 Linda McNamar.

Health Nut Pancakes (October 11). Reprinted by permission of Rama J. Vernon. 1995 Rama J. Vernon.

Fresh Horseradish (November 21). Reprinted by permission of Theodore Wentworth. 1995 Theodore Wentworth.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available from the Library of Congress.

2006 Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

eISBN-13: 978-0-7573-9903-9 eISBN-10: 0-7573-9903-7

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

HCI, its Logos and Marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.

Cover and inside design by Larissa Hise Henoch
Inside book formatting by Theresa Peluso

We dedicate this book to
everyone striving for
better health;
mentally, physically
and spiritually.

CONTENTS

Introduction

T his is not a diet book. This is a book about inspiration, motivation and celebration. Its a book with big ideas and big goals. Its a book about better health, a happier life, more energy and hope for the future. Its a book about changing habits and patterns that will be lifelong.

Overeating and underexercising has a powerful hold on many of us. I have been trying to lose weight most of my life, and I think many people struggle with weight issues. Being at a healthy weight is an important part of taking care of ourselves. Just as important is becoming the best person we can be, and learning to love ourselves, forgive ourselves and energize ourselves.

When my daughter Julia was in college majoring in health promotion and wellness, she knew I was trying (again) to lose weight and exercise more. Always supportive of my attempts to improve my health and fitness, Julia shared a concept she thought would help me reach my objective. Each letter in the word SPECIES represents a different area of a truly healthy being. Social,Physical,Emotional,Career,Intellectual,Environmental and Spiritual. We have to make all the parts work in order to be truly healthy, Mom.

Ive kept those seven keys close to my heart ever since. Youll read about them throughout this book as we work together to create a life that brims with good health.

Thank you for taking this journey with me. Getting healthy by eating better, eating less and exercising more could possibly be the toughest thing we ever do. But if we keep at it every day, well discover that being healthy, happy and hopeful is our reward for making some simple lifestyle changes.

Open your heart and pour out your feelings on the lines provided on each page. Journaling is an amazing way to know that our minds and bodies are changing for the better.

And remember, its one day at a time. Baby steps. New ideas. New habits. New lifestyle. Were in this together. And we can do this. We can get healthy. We can be fit, have fun, be happy, hopeful and full of energy. I believe this with all my heart. Lets begin!

Patricia Lorenz

F or most of my adult life Ive made lose weight my New Years resolution. This year is different. This year, its get healthy by making a commitment to eat better foods, less of them and to exercise more. It seems like a lifelong plan and not a diet. Lets do it together. The way I look at it, these bodies of ours are a gift and its our responsibility to cherish them and keep them healthy.

Tonight when we undress, lets turn around slowly in front of the mirror. Look at that belly fat and/or those roly-poly hips and thighs.

Lets promise ourselves to get healthy by eating better,eating less and exercising more. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

DIETERS DELIGHTS & DILEMMAS

I f youre like me you hate to throw away perfectly good food, but sometimes thats the best thing we can do for our health.

This time of year I look at all the holiday cookies, cakes and candies. Its hard to just toss it all out. But then when I look at my goals for this year, I know that getting rid of all those white flour calories and fat is the best thing I can do for my body.

So out they go! Hopefully this year well be able to find many ways to make sure that all the food we put in our mouths is not only delicious but very nutritious as well.

DIETERS DELIGHTS & DILEMMAS

W e may be asking ourselves, What exactly doeseating bettermean? Simple, just take all those articles weve read and the hundreds of TV shows weve watched about nutrition and fitness, and put that knowledge to work. We both know what eatbetter means. It means 100 percent whole-grain breads and pastas. Brown rice. Non- or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese and salad dressings. It means eliminating most white sugar, white flour and high-fat products. Eating more fresh fruits and brightly colored vegetables. Less red meat. Healthy snacks.

We know the drill. We know what it means. We know which aisles to avoid in the grocery store. We already know and now were really going to do it.

DIETERS DELIGHTS & DILEMMAS

R emember the word SPECIES from the introduction. Its an acronym that represents the seven essential elements to a truly healthy being:

Social

Physical

Emotional

Career

Intellectual

Environmental

Spiritual

As we work hard this year on the physical part of wellness, lets also study up on the other six. Just think what an amazingly wonderful SPECIES well be by December 31!

DIETERS DELIGHTS & DILEMMAS

F or thirty-two years, my dad, who was born in 1919, was a rural mail carrier. Every year for Christmas his patrons gave him, in addition to about twenty bottles of aftershave, boxes and bags full of candy and cookies. The chocolate-covered cherries were my favorites. And every year in January, Dad started writing thank-you letters for each and every gift.